Chinese New Year in the Park (plus Giveaway!)

To celebrate Chinese New Year, we're giving away three copies of Feeding the Dragon, a cookbook and travelogue through China written by the adventurous brother-and-sister duo Nate and Mary Kate Tate.

Nate was kind enough to share an overview of the Chinese New Year, and the way parks are enjoyed in modern China:

Happy year of the dragon! Today is the beginning of the Chinese New Year, a date based on the traditional lunar calendar and the Chinese Zodiac. Starting tonight and continuing for the next 15 days, more than a billion people in Asia and around the world will be celebrating the coming of the year of the dragon.

In China there is no better way to celebrate Chinese New Year than going to a park. During the day, temple fairs will dazzle visitors with special dishes, dragon dances, martial arts, and acrobatics. At night, people will flock to the parks to set off a wild spectacle of fireworks that is supposed to scare off any evil spirits that may be lingering around in the New Year.

On my first visit to China I was struck by the importance of parks to the Chinese way of life. In the early morning hours, old-timers come to the park to practice Tai-chi and martial arts. During the day, women gather around outdoor tables to play mahjongg and drink tea, children play badminton and fly kites, and there are often street performers doing everything from singing Beijing Opera to ballroom dancing. A lot of parks even have outdoor weightlifting equipment!

If you have the chance to travel China, I recommend spending at least one morning ditching the usual tourist itinerary and heading to a park. You won't be disappointed.

For a chance to win a copy of Feeding the Dragon, just do one, two, or three of these things:

Review a park, museum, zoo, or other place of interest on ParkGrades.com.

For every "Like," every "Follow," and/or every park review you write, you'll get an extra chance to win! We'll draw three winners out of an electronic hat on Wednesday, February 1. Good luck, and Happy Chinese New Year!